2010 12 14 Barclay Martin Ensemble and Friends at Jardine's

2010 11 04 recordbar

Barclay Martin, performing with Shay Estes and Rick Willoughby, at recordbar on November 4th, 2010.

Blog Action Day 2010 WATER

Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. The topic for October 15, 2010 is WATER.

What does it mean to you to have clean water?

"Water"

To me, it means so many things. It means life and beauty and health. It means beautiful rivers and lakes and oceans to photograph and swim in. Unfortunately, there are many people on this earth that do not have access to clean water...890 million people, actually.






African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink. More than 3.5 million people die each year from water-related disease; 84 percent are children. Nearly all deaths, 98 percent, occur in the developing world. Clean water is a necessity for life and we should help all people have access to it.




Fortunately, there are ways we can help with the water crisis. Water.org is a Kansas City based nonprofit organization that raises money to build wells and provide sanitation education to people in developing countries. Their vision: A day when every person can have safe water. You can donate to water.org, and support artists and businesses that donate a portion of their proceeds to water. org. 




While the developing world faces a water crisis, we in industrialized countries use more than our fair share of water. Educate yourself on water conservation and keeping our rivers clean. What is one thing you can do to help keep our own water clean?



Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

An Interview with Barclay....

Video by Brandon Cummins
Editing by Rick Willoughby, with Giuliano Mingucci and Ginny Evans
Barclay Martin Ensemble
Click here for 9/24/2010 CD Release Concert tickets
Press Release: Water.org and musician Barclay Martin form partnership

Quixotic's Paix Reveuse

As a friend of mine put it, "...if you missed Paix Reveuse, you missed having your breath taken away".

"Quixotic's Paix Reveuse"

Photography by Ginny Evans

Quixotic Madrid Theater 2010 - 2:30 from Quixotic Fusion on Vimeo.

Read what others are saying about Paix Reveuse:
Kansas City Star's Timothy Fin: Quixotic prepares for Madrid Theatre show and bigger things beyond
KC Confidential's Mark Edelman: Video thrills; Quixotic's the star
Kansas City Star's Derek Donovan: Review

Dress Rehearsals are underway for Quixotic's Paix Reveuse!

I was able to stop by the Madrid Theatre Wednesday for a glimpse of the first dress rehearsal of Paix Reveuse.

"Rehearsal - Paix Reveuse"

Behind the Scenes of a Quixotic Photo Shoot

Quixotic Fusion is a Kansas City based performance ensemble that combines live music, aerial artistry, modern dance, innovative lighting and set design, and cutting edge video projections to create a multi-sensory performance unlike any other. Quixotic's modern cirque performances leave you amazed and with a new level of respect for what artists of different disciplines can create when their forces combine.

Quixotic Fusion is currently preparing for their upcoming summer show, Paix Reveuse, which will run June 17-19 at the Madrid Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here! Below are some "behind the scenes" photos from a recent Quixotic photo shoot for Paix Reveuse, featuring Q dancers Laura Jones, Angie Sansone, and Megan Stockman.

"Quixotic Photo Shoot"

Quixotic Fusion's new space

Quixotic Fusion Performance Ensemble recently acquired a new rehearsal space close to midtown, which is fantastic! The space now allows the dancers and musicians to rehearse together prior to performances, a luxury they never had before. In addition, the space can accommodate small shows and dance workshops. All of these things are very good.

Tickets for Quixotic's new summer show, Paix Reveuse, are now on sale! This is going to be an amazing show that you will not want to miss!

Click here to get your tickets!

Barclay Martin Ensemble at Crosstown Station

Barclay Martin and his ensemble will be traveling south to Nashville to record their 4th album come April 11th, but they couldn't leave without performing a few songs for us at Crosstown Station.

VIEW PHOTOS HERE

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards

I first saw this group of amazing dancers perform on So You Think You Can Dance last season, and was blown away! Then, last night as I was watching the Oscars, this group of dancers began performing to a medley of songs nominated for Best Original Song and I knew immediately it was the same group. They are called the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Everything about their performance last night was spectacular, from the staging, props, costumes and choreography, to the dancers' talent and strength. I have never before seen B-boys (extremely good ones, I might add) dance with such musicality and grace.

Now I know there is some criticism out there that the songs for Best Original Song were not performed live last night, but I would like to applaud the Academy Awards for choosing the LXD to perform to these songs. I think the smiles on the faces of the nominees, plus the few standing ovations they received, speaks volumes. I cannot wait to see what the LXD comes up with next. Maybe one day we can get them to perform in KC...

VIEW PERFORMANCE HERE

"Goodbye, Summer" EP Release Party at Czar Bar

VIEW PHOTOS HERE

Saturday night I attended the EP release party for "Goodbye, Summer", the debut EP from my friend and KC musician, Vi Tran. We were treated to a live show featuring Vi Tran and the EP Ensemble: Giuliano Mingucci, William Brent Wright, Katie Gilchrist, Sean Hogge. It was a marvelous time filled with happy-tune-listening!


Check out Vi Tran's music and story here

QUIXOTIC FUSION promo video

So you have seen posts I've written and pictures I've taken of this Kansas City based performance group, Quixotic. Hot off the press, here is their 2010 promo video, which is fantastic! I even shot some of the video used in this promo! Some of the shots under the gold dome I took at the New Years Eve WaterFire Fundraiser in Providence, RI. (My first post in 2010 was about it!) It was such a beautiful show that evening and the gold dome served as the perfect backdrop for a Quixotic performance!

Let's get our folk on...

....at our favorite little jazz club on the Plaza with Barclay Martin Ensemble

*Wee Small Hours: 1955* Jardines

Recently I had the privilege of meeting the very talented operatic tenor, Nathan Granner.

The New Theatre Restaurant

My father and I have been going to the New Theatre Restaurant since it first opened, 17 years ago.

New Years Eve with Quixotic and WaterFire

I rang in the new year of 2010 in the beautiful New England town of Providence, RI.